Year 9 of Teaching: Complete
It's been quite a while since either of us have created a blog post, and I'd (Josey) love to get back into it again, even if it's just for me to look back on in the future.
We've wrapped up year 9 of teaching music in Montana Public Schools! I don't think I could have imagined where we'd be 9 years ago, when we started our journey as teachers and partners. We now have our second foster kiddo living with us, Joel (5) and Jonah (2) and have even added to our cat-human ratio; we've still got Panther and Arrow, and added in Taco earlier this year.
As I write this on the last day of school for the '23-'24 school year, I'm hit with the excitement for summer, but also the sense of loss I experience at the end of every school year. I've had amazing students walk into my classroom every day for years, and now, some of them move off to their own new adventures.
It is one of my absolute favorite things to run across a former student out in the community or to have them come back to the middle school during a day off from classes at the high school. It's amazing to see how much these young people change, evolve, and grow over the years, and those brief interactions really inspire me to keep putting in the energy in teaching band and choir.
Over the past couple days, we've celebrated the 8th grade class. There are amazing people heading on to do great things, and I'm so glad I've been able to be a part of their journey. Reading through some of the cards and notes I've received at the end of the school year really does help me to remember that our kids need someone to believe in them and to push them to be the best they can be.
If you know me, you know I love teaching band and choir, and really try to encourage my students to continue on in music just like I did through middle and high school! I'm sure many of my students get tired of hearing that from me, and many will chose to be done with playing their instrument or singing in the choir after they leave my class. This year, a few very talented kids who likely won't open their cases again wrote me notes. On the day celebrating their accomplishments, they thanked me for doing what I love.
What these students may not realizes, is that they make it possible for me to be the teacher I am. I've learned compassion, flexibility, and humor from them. They inspire me to be a better teacher, and a more open minded person so that I can help future students find the success that they have found.
If there's one thing that I hope my students take away from being in my class, it's that they are loved and they matter! While not everyday of middle school teaching is butterflies and rainbows... some are certainly like driving a bus full of wild animals... without brakes... and the bus is on fire... and all of the animals are starving... I strive to make sure each musician in my room is valued.
As much as I hope my students will take the leap and keep making music, making memories, and making friends, I just want them to know that they matter!
Two years ago, a former student and I were chatting at his brothers 8th grade continuation ceremony at Monforton. He was the kid that dressed like me for the "dress like a teacher day" and he was one of those kids that I really connected with while he was in my band. This student burned so brightly and brought so much joy to me and those around him, and he was one of those kids left a void in the band room when he went on to high school. I was so happy to see him at the ceremony, and we caught up for a while. 6 months later, I learned that this amazing person took their own life.
I have thought about him nearly every single day as I drive to school, and I just wish I could have told him one more time how much he meant to me. I pray that I never learn that I'll never accidentally run across a former student again, or have them pop into my room because they thought life wasn't worth living. I pray that all my former, current, and future students will know that they matter to me, and I'm a teacher because of THEM!
One Voice Children's Choir cover of "One More Light" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HneFCDaeQNY
8th Grade Class of 2024, you are loved, and you will do great things! And please don't forget to come say hi from time to time. I can't wait to see you!
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